90 charges withdrawn against father and his common-law partner in Edmonton child abuse case

A courtroom at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on Friday, June 28, 2019.

Charges have been withdrawn against a man and a woman who faced a combined 90 charges in a child and animal abuse case.

The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service (ACPS) says the charges were withdrawn because they did not meet the standard for prosecution.

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The 35-year-old man and 38-year-old woman can't be named because of a publication ban.

The Edmonton Police Service began an investigation into the pair on Dec. 1, 2023 after reports of "significant child abuse" against seven children between the ages of two and 13.

"It was reported to police that the children were frequently beaten, strangled and malnourished for years. It is alleged that the accused father regularly subjected the children to punishments whereby they were forced to hold a painful physical position with their hands and feet on the floor for several hours," EPS wrote in a December news release.

"The accused father also used a shock collar to assault some of the children. The father also reportedly beat one of the family's five dogs frequently with a broom handle and tortured it by poking it with a stick through the kennel cage."

The 35-year-old man, who is the father of the children and his 38-year-old common-law partner, who is not the biological mother of any of the children were arrested on Dec. 14.

They were each charged with 45 charges of aggravated assault, uttering threats, unlawful confinement, assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and animal cruelty.

A 26-year-old man, described as a family friend, was also arrested.

His name is also under a publication ban.

He faces 14 charges of assault with a weapon and assault.

APCS says charges against the family friend are proceeding and as such it cannot provide any additional details about why the other charges were withdrawn.